Thats not true...Now I might pay your state taxes on smll items like a soda because its not worth the hassle. When I buy any large items, I inform them I am from Alaska and they take the taxes off. Matter of point I just bought a new pc from texas and was not charged any taxes. Oh and was not charged any taxes last year in Idaho for tires we bought for brothers truck who lives up here too.

 

I've crossed the border at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway truck crossings more times than I can possibly remember and I cannot recall Customs agents looking at the tires on whatever I was riding in even once. I would not worry about it. Total non-issue, as far as I am concerned.

 

I used too do it all thetime when we lived in London Ont., drive down to Port Huron/Sarnia for the day get the tires on in the am and come home later on. I always tried to find some mud puddles or dust to drive through so it wasn't blatantly obvious.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. I live in Canada and drive to the US every day for work and I never get hassled at Canadian Customs. I brought my Road Armor bumper up to Canada in the back of my truck and they asked what it was and I said it was to replace the one I've got on the truck. They just let it go at that. I've brought so much stuff across in the bed and never paid for anything. If you are getting tires put on then they won't even think twice to ask you about them. Just say you were down looking at something but didn't end up buying it or something. I bought wheels and tires and will drive them up and swap them out at our house in Canada. It will be well over 2k and I don't forsee them asking me any questions about it.

Also, duty has changed according to the customs guy at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo/Fort Erie. You no longer pay GST and PST when you bring items in. You pay a percentaged based on the item classification. For instance, I bought 6 toilets for our house through our DirectBuy membership in the US and brought them across and declared them. I paid 6% of the value on my receipt only at customs. Made me curious so I asked if it was just certain things that you pay GST and PST on and they said that it has changed how you pay duty on items. I bring a LOT of stuff in because we are renovating our house and even paying tax in the US and duty it's cheaper to get stuff in Buffalo and bring it over than it is to get it in Canada. A LOT cheaper.

For example: My price for 6 Kohler Santa Rosa lowboy toilets, $1600 with tax. My quote for the exact same toilets in Kohler Santa Rosa lowboy toilets in Canada, $4800 before tax.

 

I've wanted to do just the opposite, go to Canada to buy a few good old high flow toilets to install in my house. I hate the low flow ones that are required down here.

 

We have a Direct Buy membeship so we got them cheap direct from Kohler. They flush awesome and we haven't had a single problem with them since putting them all in.

It's kind of weird, some things are better to buy in Canada and some things are better to buy in the US. We look at both and then decide. Direct Buy makes it too hard to not buy from them in the US and bring it up to Canada since it's SO much cheaper.